Project Lead The Way - Engineering Design

Have you ever tried to design something new or make a visual representation of an idea you wanted to share with your friends and wondered how you could communicate your idea? Or, have you ever wondered how someone designed that new MP3 player, sleek new phone or game system? Then Engineering Design is the pathway for you. Students can expect to study engineering as part of an integrated creative STEM curriculum. STEM is an applied integrated approach using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics as tools to create product, whether it is a house, car, cell phone or robot.

The Engineering Pathway gives the students the opportunity to develop skills and understanding of concepts through activity, project, and problem-based (APPB) learning. Used in combination with a teaming approach, APPB learning challenges the students to continually develop or improve their interpersonal skills, creative abilities and problem solving skills based upon engineering concepts. The students will dig deep into the engineering design process, applying math, science, and engineering standards to hands-on projects. They will work both individually and in teams to design solutions to a variety of problems using 3D modeling software and document their work in an engineering notebook. Throughout the Engineering Pathway courses, students will use the same industry-leading technology and software as the world’s top companies. The exciting and challenging fields of engineering come alive in the ‘’PTE program", which is design to prepare students for careers or post-secondary study in STEM fields.

This is the first course in the Project Lead the Way path­way to high-skill, high-wage careers in applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students will study the design process and learn how to use the same industry-leading 3D computer modeling design software and 3D printer that’s used by companies like Intel, Lockheed Martin, and Pixar. This course is UC/CSU A-G approved.

Principals of Engineering

This Project Lead the Way foundation course is a high school-level survey course of engineering. The course exposes students to some of the major concepts that they will encounter in a postsecondary engineering course of study. Students have an opportunity to investigate engineering and the high tech career. POE course gives the students the opportunity to develop skills and understanding of concepts through activity-, project-, and problem-based (APPB) learning. This course is UC/CSU A-G approved.

Digital Electronics

This course is based on the principles and laws of tradi­tional electronics and electrical theory. Digital Electron­ics and embedded micro-computers are in every product that is either plugged into a wall or operated by batteries, and is therefore a technology that all people are exposed to in their daily lives. Students will begin with a study of basic electrical theory then move on to learn the ba­sic principles and theories of digital circuits on Multisim. Students develop solutions to solve the problems posed by essential and key questions in each unit and section overview. Projects include race cars and Digital multi meters. This course is UC/CSU A-G approved.

Engineering Design and Development

This PLTW capstone course is an engineering research course in which students work in teams to research, design, and construct a solution to an open-ended engineering problem. Students apply principles developed in the three preceding courses and are guided by a community mentor. The student will develop the necessary technical skills to communicate ideas in an understandable, efficient, and accurate manner. The course covers common mechanical terms, components, and systems as related to mechanical engineering. This course is UC/CSU A-G approved.